Strategic T&D Planning & Investment Manager

United Illuminating; Orange (CT); On-site; USD 150,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive benefits

Performance-based bonuses

401(k) match

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Tuition reimbursement

Professional development

Job summary

The United Illuminating Company is seeking a Manager of Transmission and Distribution Planning to lead a team responsible for ensuring reliable operation of T&D systems through strategic planning, regulatory alignment, and advanced engineering practices.

The role oversees grid assessments, investment planning, and implementation of innovative solutions aligned with regulatory requirements and corporate strategies, with a focus on cross-functional leadership and performance improvement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Electrical Engineering preferred.
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in T&D system planning, engineering, or operations.
• Proven leadership skills with cross-functional teams.
• Demonstrated knowledge in utility operations and regulatory compliance.
• Ability to adequately document and interpret engineering documentation, review, and approve engineering work done by others.
• Experience leading implementation of complex initiatives.
• Strong communication and presentation capabilities.
• Experience in strategy development and implementation.

Responsibilities

• Manages and develops engineering staff, ensuring alignment with organizational goals. Sets department objectives, coach, and counsel team members, and conduct performance evaluations.
• Develops organizational performance measures, initiates actions to enhance performance, reviews work processes, systems, procedures, and practices and directs changes to improve productivity or control costs. Determines staffing needs and obtains approval for resource requirements.
• Leads detailed evaluations/assessments of the transmission and distribution systems to identify current and future needs, proposing cost-effective and innovative solutions.
• Develops short- and long-range plans to meet system reliability and capacity needs. Oversees, defines, and prioritizes system-wide and circuit-level solutions based on established criteria, risk, impact, value, and implementation complexity. Provides oversight and recommendations as to the prioritization of Avangrid Networks distribution capital investments.
• Defines and manage an investment pipeline aligned with regulatory requirements, customer expectations, and Avangrid strategies.
• Leads coordination of rate cases and regulatory dockets related to system planning and provide expert testimony when required.
• Oversees interconnection studies for Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) and load integration. Implement initiatives supporting beneficial electrification, energy storage, data centers and non-wires solutions (NWS).
• Leads and implement enhancements to planning processes, ensuring alignment with emerging trends, technologies, and regulatory expectations.
• Supports the development and ongoing review of NWS process and plan development.
• Works closely with internal departments within Avangrid and Iberdrola, consultants, attorneys, government agencies like DOE, regulatory agencies such as PURA and FERC, external entities such as ISO-NE, CONVEX, neighboring utilities, and industry organizations like EPRI.
• Monitors industry trends, assess technological advancements, and integrate applicable innovations into corporate strategies.

Skills

Leadership

Cross-functional teamwork

Regulatory compliance

Strategic planning

Communication skills

Documentation

Public speaking

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering

Master’s degree in Engineering

Job description

The United Illuminating Company is seeking a Manager of Transmission and Distribution Planning to lead a team responsible for ensuring reliable operation of T&D systems through strategic planning, regulatory alignment, and advanced engineering practices.

The role oversees grid assessments, investment planning, and implementation of innovative solutions aligned with regulatory requirements and corporate strategies, with a focus on cross-functional leadership and performance improvement.